Do I need to transfer to a secondary?

[DWavs]

I have a batch of American Amber that has been sitting for a week. I plan on letting it go for 3 weeks. Do I have to transfer it to a secondary or can it sit in the primary for the 3 weeks?

Thanks!
David

 

[Revvy]

Read this thread-To Secondary or Not? John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff Weigh In .

Most of my beers stay in primary for a month then bottle.

 

[DWavs]

Thanks for the link!

 

[birvine]

Primary for 3 or so then bottle/keg. You CAN transfer to secondary, but there is usually no reason other than the old instructions said to do it that way. Why chance oxidation or messing with what is already good?

B

 

[jetmac]

read this thread-to secondary or not? John palmer and jamil zainasheff weigh in .

most of my beers stay in primary for a month then bottle.

+1

 

[unionrdr]

I just check for a 1st FG reading at 2 weeks. If it's no there yet,& it usually isn't,then give it another week. If it checks the same 3 days after that,I give it 3-5 days to clean up & settle out more. Then the beer is usually pretty clear to bottle at that point.

 

[moorerm04]

The only reason I ever use secondary is if I am racking on top of something like oak chips, vanilla beans, etc.

 

[flabyboy]

The only time I do it is when dry hopping, bulk aging, or if I feel my fermentation has stalled. There have been times where I left my beer in primary for 4 weeks and decided to bottle after stable gravity readings. I ended getting bottle bombs because the fermentation started up again after the transfer to bottles. So if your final gravity at 3 weeks is higher than you expected and it has been that way for awhile, I would recommend transferring to secondary to see if it kick starts it

 

[Elweydoloco]

Read this thread-To Secondary or Not? John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff Weigh In .

Most of my beers stay in primary for a month then bottle.

+1

If Revvy gives you advice you can bet it's handed down from BeerGod himself.

 

[jcdouglas]

I used to transfer to a secondary because that's how I was taught. Now I just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks unless I am dry hopping. I do have urges to want to transfer to the secondary because I enjoy the hobby so much that I want to do something. Instead I do another batch to fulfill my homebrewing urges.

 

[solbes]

I used to transfer to a secondary because that's how I was taught. Now I just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks unless I am dry hopping. I do have urges to want to transfer to the secondary because I enjoy the hobby so much that I want to do something. Instead I do another batch to fulfill my homebrewing urges.

+1, Used to secondary, now primary even big beers 4-5. Possible oxidation damage and risk of contamination for secondary. Seems to be equivalent, if not better quality for long Primary only. And less work to boot.

 

[imperialipa]

I almost always transfer to secondary. Heres why "I" do it....

1. Free up my 6.5 gal carboy for another batch

2. Clear out my beer more. I primary for 3 weeks. Then transfer. After another 2 weeks in secondary there is almost always another 1/2 inch of cake on the bottom of the fermentor. Then I keg it. My beers seem clearer to me and I get less trub our of those first pours from the keg.


If you bottling maybe it does not matter as much I guess.

I use an autosiphon with a long tube and there is no oxidation going on. My sanitation practices are pretty good too. Having brewed over 20 all grain batches not I have yet to get an infection.

But like others say you dont really "need" to. I just happen to feel the quality of the beer improves a bit.

 

[browncoat]

The only time I do it is when dry hopping, bulk aging, or if I feel my fermentation has stalled. There have been times where I left my beer in primary for 4 weeks and decided to bottle after stable gravity readings. I ended getting bottle bombs because the fermentation started up again after the transfer to bottles. So if your final gravity at 3 weeks is higher than you expected and it has been that way for awhile, I would recommend transferring to secondary to see if it kick starts it

I had something like this just happen to me. I racked from a secondary in the keg and it was already carbed. There was no blockage in the fermenter lock so I don't have a clue as to why this was. Kinda scary considering it was a glass carboy.